Saturn Transit in Chitra

Chitra belongs to Mars, Saturn's enemy, and its deity is Tvashtar, the Vishvakarma who builds for the gods. The symbol is a bright jewel. The first two padas lie in Virgo and the last two in Libra, both signs of Saturn's friends, and Libra is also Saturn's sign of exaltation, so the second half of the stay is stronger than the first.

Tvashtar builds. Architecture, design, craftsmanship, beauty of form and the pride of the maker are the themes, and Saturn here is the slow builder: a house or a body of work is raised over years, and its faults are found in the building. The skin, the kidneys and the lower back ask for care. Mars in the lordship adds heat to Saturn's dryness.

A full passage fills about a year, broken by the retrograde into two or three visits. In the Virgo padas the building is of health, service and daily order. In Libra it becomes a partnership, a contract or a public position.

Who feels it depends on the sign. In the Virgo padas, Libra, Virgo and Leo Moons are in Sade Sati, Gemini Moons in Kantaka and Aquarius Moons in Ashtama. In Libra, Sade Sati moves to Scorpio, Libra and Virgo, with Cancer in the fourth and Pisces in the eighth. Phaladeepika's favourable third, sixth and eleventh belong first to Cancer, Aries and Scorpio Moons and lagnas, then to Leo, Taurus and Sagittarius.

The maker's pride comes up, and work built for use is what stands.

Make something useful for someone who labours. Give iron or oil on Saturday, recite Om Sham Shanaishcharaya Namah, and offer red lentils on Tuesday for Mars, the nakshatra lord. A visit to Hanuman on Saturday settles the friction between the two grahas.